Sog Flash II Black TiNi…

The SOG flash II is one of the best “over the counter” knives on the market (for the price). Not quite a Wall Mart special, but you can find it at large chain sports retailers like sports chalet, etc.
Flash II Black TiNi 3.5″ blade .125″ thick, 4.5″ closed, 8″ open, 3oz, Steel AUS-8. Made in USA. List Price $84. Street $59 – $70.
You might have heard I lost my SOG Pentagon Elite, I decided to replace it with the SOG Flash II. I love SOG knives, I really do. I’m into the durable light weight Zytel handles, discrete carry clip and near effortless one handed SAT spring assisted opening.
For those not into knives, you probably know what a “switchblade” is. You press a button and a spring loaded blade shoots out (or drops out). Well those are illegal to carry around in most states 🙂 However what many knife companies have created are “assisted opening” knives which are completely legal and you can even buy at Walmart (like Kershaw, Gerber quick draw, etc).
SOG’s version of this is called SOG Assisted Technology (S.A.T.). How this works is you begin open the blade by hand, then the spring takes over and flips the blade out and locks it in place.
For all intended purposes this knife operates in a very similar manner to an automatic knife. I own a few different auto assisted knives and find the SOG to work the easiest / smoothest.
You may notice the safety switch (little switch) on the knife. When it’s red, the knife can open. The other switch is the lock mechanism. After the blade springs open, you pull the switch back to release the blade lock to fold it again. The lock can be in any position and will automatically slide fwd when the blade swings out. So you only have to worry about the safety switch location. Personally I always have the safety off (ready to rock).
Another feature I love about most SOG knives is the location of the spring clip. The clip extends past the end of the knife. Allowing the knife to be completely in your pocket. It looks like you have a pen clip from the outside, no one freaks out.
You can get the Flash II in Black TiNi, Part Serrated Edge, smooth edge and tanto. I like the Black blades, specially for carry. They scratch up with use, but its SOOOO much less threatening to idiots that scare easily when you whip this thing out to cut off tags or in the office, etc.
Another cool feature of most SOG knives is the inclusion of at least AUS-8 steel (which is 1.5 times harder than 440 stainless steel) Kershaw blur and many other auto assisted knives in this category use 440 stainless. AUS-8 is roughly similar to 440B in terms of hardness. Google “knife steel” for an explanation on different types of steel and ceramic blades, the ups and downs of each. But make no mistake, the reason you pay $60 – $200 on a modern tactical blade is because of the steel.
This is not your $5 swap meet tactical alloy lock back.. haha
Size Comparisons:
From Top to bottom: Kershaw Blur, Leatherman Charge Ti, SOG Flash II, Gerber Paraframe I.
I’ll review some of these and a shiit ton of others in the future…